1. Technical Field
This invention relates to excrement removal devices and, more particularly, to a vacuum-operable excrement collector.
2. Prior Art
It will be appreciated that in an urban environment, animal excrement has become an increasingly serious problem and a number of municipalities have enacted “curb your dog” ordinances not only requiring that animals be walked on leashes in the streets, but that their owners assume responsibility for removal of their animal's excrement from the street. For example, New York City has enacted legislation requiring a dog owner to remove the dog's excrement from the street or be fined for failure to comply.
Accordingly, a number of commercially available devices have been developed and marketed to assist an animal owner in removing his animal's excrement from city streets. Such devices include, for example, chemical devices to chemically decompose the fecal matter as well as other hand held or wheeled devices for scraping or shoveling it up into containers. Such prior art devices present a number of disadvantages including, for example, extreme bulkiness, or they require the owner to physically handle the animal's excrement in order to dispose of it.
Accordingly, a need remains for a hand-held, vacuum-operable feces collection device wherein the excrement is drawn into an excrement containing housing by suction generated by the device. The present invention satisfies such a need and is readily capable of being operated and carried by an animal owner and further includes a disposable bag in the housing for easy disposal by the owner. Thus, the present invention provides a pet owner with a practical, convenient, and sanitary method of collecting pet feces.